50 Names, 50 Games

“What’s in a name?” That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Apparently William Shakespeare never worked in minor league baseball. For 24 seasons one of the most iconic franchises in all of minor league baseball has been the St. Paul Saints. With 2017 marking the organizations 25th anniversary, the team felt like it was time for something fresh. Instead of doing what many before them have done, changing their name for one game or rebranding all together, the team will do something no other team has dared to do: go by a different name during each of their 50 home games.

This is a bold move by the team from St. Paul, some would even say a JUMBO-sized idea, but this was a plan weeks in the making. After a successful 24 seasons as the Saints this is the icing on the CAKE(s). While the organization has done many hilarious promotions during its time in St. Paul, some fans may smell a RAT of an idea, but the team didn’t want to do a SHRIMP-like name change. They RUMBLED ahead and came up with the greatest dog and PONY show in franchise history.

“It would have been very easy for us to rebrand our team with one new name, but what fun would that be,” said Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Derek Sharrer. “We have a lot of talented people on staff that gathered around our conference table eating TACOS and BACON. They just kept throwing out amazing ideas. They were on FIRE and the names were jumping like FROGS, so we decided why not just use all 50 we came up with.”

Along with the 50 new names the team needed a new logo and reached out to local design company KJH/JCL to incorporate all the names into one amazing logo. Each name will have its own logo, but they will intersect to form the “STP” design that Saints fans have grown attached to since 1993. The team also purchased the website: www.Saints50Names50Games.com that includes the logo, the date of each new name and much more throughout the season.

Here is a list of the 50 different names the St. Paul team will go by during the 2017 season:

St. Paul Guttural Uff da’s – An expression of bafflement adopted by Scandinavian Americans in Minnesota or the word fans will use regarding the name change for the night.

St. Paul Gelatinous Lutefisk – A traditional dish of some Nordic countries that Scandinavian ancestors brought to the Upper Midwest. Those that can stomach the fish, can stomach the name change

St. Paul Duck Duck Gray Duck – You’re not even allowed in the state if you utter the word Goose.

St. Paul Flowing Hockey Hairs – Even our high school kids are recognized nationally for their sweet flow during the State High School Hockey Tournament

St. Paul Fizzy Pops – If you want Soda head to the west coast. If you want Coke go down South. Here in Minnesota we say “Pop.”

St. Paul You Betcha’s – We can tell you “yes” or that “we agree,” but “You Betcha” just has a better ring to it don’t cha know.

St. Paul Minny Pauls – On two different sides of the river in the Twin Cities you have Minny and Paul. We believe in harmony in Minnesota, so the two come together for one night.

St. Paul Cold Catchers – If you don’t dress warmly in the winter months chances are you’re going to catch a cold. Or how Saints opponents feel after leaving CHS Field following a series loss.

St. Paul Long Goodbyes – Minnesotans don’t know how to say goodbye, at least not in an efficient way. Often times the goodbye is longer than the actual conversation. We just don’t want to offend you by cutting off a conversation.

Minnesota Nice – People from Minnesota are often seen as courteous, mild-mannered and extremely friendly. If it snows a foot we’ll help you shovel your driveway. Just don’t ask us about our passive-aggressive nature.

Minnesota Blossoming Pink and White Lady Slippers – This is the Minnesota State flower and chances are it will outlive you in your lifetime, with some species growing to 100 years old or how long the explanation for all 50 name changes feels like it will go on.

St. Paul Grand Slam Spam – Is it ham? Is it pork? Whatever it is it’s made by a local company, Hormel, and we believe in celebrating anything that was made in our state.

St. Paul Ice Scrapers – Unless you’re one of the smart ones with an automatic car starter, in the winter Minnesotans are outside early in the morning scraping off the ice from their windshield.

Minnesota Torpedo-Shaped Walleye – The state fish of Minnesota is one of the most sought after by anglers. We have 10,000 lakes, you’re bound to catch a few during fishing season.

St. Paul North Stars – Minnesota is the North Star State or, L’Etoile du Nord: Star of the North if you prefer. There used to be a hockey team called North Stars, but we try not to bring that up in these parts.

St. Paul Evil Sinners – This organization has always been about the anti-establishment, so we aren’t always Saints. Some would even call us Sinners.

Minnesota Voyageurs – Camping is a way of life for people in Minnesota and there is no better place than Voyageurs National Park in International Falls. Hardy Minnesotans don’t just go in the summertime, but in the winter many people will snowmobile, cross-country ski or snow shoe at Voyageurs National Park.

Minnesota 10,000 Plus Lakers – Come for the Minnesota Nice, stay for our lakes. Technically there are 11.842 lakes, but the Land of 11,842 Lakes isn’t quite as catchy. There used to be a basketball team by a similar name, but we try not to bring that up around here.

Minnesota Sticky Wild Rice – Similar to there not being 10,000 lakes in Minnesota, wild rice isn’t rice at all. It’s actually aquatic grass with grains that look, feel like, and taste like rice. So much for this being the official grain of Minnesota.

St. Paul Cartoonish Charlie Browns – Born in St. Paul, Charles Schulz was the mastermind behind the iconic Peanuts cartoon. Fun fact: Charlie Brown’s team once lost a game 123-0. Fun Fact II: The Saints have never lost a game 123-0.

St. Paul Massive Bunyans – An American folk hero, Paul Bunyan, and his trusty sidekick Babe the Blue Ox, can be found in Bemidji, MN. There is no truth to the rumor the Saints will sign Bunyan for this game where he would likely hit 1,000 foot home runs.

Minnesota “Isms” – We have a very distinct way of talking here in Minnesota. We don’t say “bag” we say “beg.” A “stream” is a “crick.” And instead “don’t you know” we say it quickly and it’s “don-chya-no.” And if you don’t like it we’ll give you the long Minnesota good-bye.

St. Paul Baseball “Eh’s” – We’re not changing our name to become the A’s. In Minnesota this is our way of looking for an affirmative to the end of a question. The Saints are the best baseball team in the American Association, eh?

St. Paul Potato Lefse’s – A type of Norwegian flatbread eaten primarily around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The town of Starbuck, MN is home to the largest lefse and Fosse, MN invites area lefse makers to compete for the title of Champion Lefse Maker. Head to Mankato, MN for Lefse Day, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Minnesota Cabin Goers – A native Minnesotan receives two things when they are born: a birth certificate and a deed to a cabin, or so it seems like it. If you don’t own a cabin you know someone who does. Minnesotan’s flock to the cabin in the summer and the winter. Basically, there is no bad time to head to the cabin.

St. Paul Oversized Cherry and the Spoons – One of the more iconic pieces of art in the state is the Spoonbridge and Cherry located at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. More selfies have been taken in front of this sculpture than anywhere in the Twin Cities combined, except with Mudonna.

St. Paul Powerful Blue Ox’ – Babe the Blue Ox often gets overshadowed by his more famous companion, Paul Bunyan. The larger than life animal would often eat thirty bales of hay, rub up against the side of a mountain to scratch an itch and helped Paul straighten out the pesky, twisted logging roads.

St. Paul Oh Fer Cutes – The word adorable just isn’t in our lexicon. When it comes to babies or little puppies we prefer to come up with our own saying. Hopefully, we will be talking about the other team going “oh fer” on this night and how cute that is.

St. Paul Holy Buckets – This Minnesota Nice thing has gotten out of hand. We don’t really use curse words out here, so instead we come up with creative ways to express our displeasure.

St. Paul Construction Season – The old joke in Minnesota is there are two seasons: Winter and Construction Season. Don’t be surprised if base runners have to take a circuitous route to get to first base.

St. Paul White Outs – You wouldn’t know it by the last couple of winters, but it actually snows in this state. Although, if the mild winters keep up we may need to change our name to the St. Paul Global Warmings.

St. Paul Naughty Norwegians – Minnesota is the Norwegian capital of the U.S. with more than 850,000 claiming the state as home. Chow down on some krumkake and bake scalloped sandbakkels and practice your rosemaling as we throw the biggest Syttende Mai party in the Midwest.

St.Paul Fast Talkers – Minnesotans would make Aaron Sorkin proud. While we don’t say much (fourth least talkative state) when we do talk we say it fast (second behind Oregon). With all this data one would expect the Minnesota Goodbye to be much quicker.

St. Paul Polar Vortices – Maybe this word existed before 2014, but it was used ad nauseam during the coldest winter in nearly two decades during that year. Temperatures routinely were below zero and schools were cancelled because of wind chills that reached -30 degrees and worse. Now if there is a chance of back-to-back below zero days the Polar Vortex phrase gets thrown around. We promise this night will not be that frigid.

Minnesota Passive Aggressives – We want to be liked and we’ll do everything we can for you to like us, including not getting into arguments. We still want our way, but we’ll find a passive aggressive way to do it.

St.Paul Deep Fried on a Stick – For 10 days at the end of the summer Minnesotans head to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. It’s during this time we eat everything in sight which consists of deep fried food on a stick. From Twinkies to Bananas to Grilled Cheese it’s gluttony at its finest.

St. Paul Meat Rafflers – It combines two great things: meat and gambling. Head to a bar, buy a ticket for a dollar and get a chance to win some raw meat. It’s as Minnesotan as pull tabs and hotdishes.

St. Paul Travelling Packet Boats – Originally designed for domestic mail, passenger and freight transportation in European countries in the 18th and 19th century, we here in Minnesota have turned them into leisurely cruise ships on the Mississippi. Not quite the S.S. Minnow, but you can hop aboard with friends, enjoy some food and drinks and get a history lesson of the mighty Mississippi.

St. Paul Smelly Muskies – You either love or hate these freshwater fish. They are the largest member of the pike family, but they are often accused of eating the other fish in the water. Their common name, muskellunge, comes from the Ojibwa word maashkinhoozie, meaning “ugly pike.” Even the ugly fish need some love. The Minnesota Muskies were also an ABA team for one season, so this name will have an even shorter stay than that team.

St. Paul Havoc Wreaking Snowpocalypses – Much like the Muskie, you either love or hate the weatherman. You love them when they tell you it’s going to be 75 and sunny, you hate them when they predict a foot of snow. You poke fun at them when they predict a major snowstorm, a snowpocalypse, and no snow ever falls. See 24th, February 2017.

St. Paul Backed Up Zipper Mergers – This sight is usually seen during construction season when two lanes are cut down to one. It’s the “you go, I go” Minnesota Nice philosophy. The passive aggressive nature comes in, however, when you don’t get the courtesy wave for letting someone in.

St. Paul Homebody Provincials – Minnesotan’s will tell you in order to live in this state you have to be able to put up with the grueling winters, but that’s how we like it. Plus, it weeds out all those people we don’t want here and you get rewarded with beautiful summers, great restaurants, artistic areas and friendly people. Basically, there is no better place in the U.S., or even the world, than Minnesota.

St. Paul Slimy Eelpouts – This fish looks like a cross between an eel and catfish and has a tendency to wrap itself around your arm. The tiny town of Walker, MN (pop 1,069) has an annual International Eelpout Festival that draws more than 10,000 people in February. We’ve played baseball games in February, so we don’t think this is all that odd despite the festival being named one of the “15 Weird Midwestern Festivals You Never Knew Existed.”

St. Paul Dirty Rotten Gangsters – The history of gangsters in St. Paul is vast with names like John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Alvin “Creepy Karpis” and Ma Barker’s gang. All sought refuge from the law in the 1930s. No word if these gangsters hardened shell turned into Minnesota Nice while they were here.

St. Paul Crooked Bootleggers – St. Paul in the 1920s and 30s was known as “crook haven.” Along with gangsters, the area was big for bootleggers during prohibition. Think of it as the modern day version of people having to go across the border into Wisconsin on Sunday to buy their alcohol. Both are now obsolete.

St. Paul Holy Lutherans – We’ve had the Atheists sponsor a night and changed our names to the “Mr. Paul Aints.” Consider this equal opportunity in a state where nearly 20% of the population identifies with the religion, second only to Catholicism.

St. Paul Saints – For one night we’ll keep the name we’ve had for the first 24 years.

Saints tickets continue to be a tremendous value. Tickets begin at $5 for the Treasure Island berm seating (available only on day of game in person at the box office), $6 for bleacher seats, $14 for outfield reserved, $16 for the drink rail and $18 for infield reserved and home plate reserved. Friday Home Games with Post-Game Fireworks are an additional $2 per ticket. Post-Game Fireworks Supershows (May 28, July 2 and August 31) are an additional $3 per ticket. Tickets purchased on the day of the game are an additional $2 per ticket. Children under the age of 12 and seniors 65 and older receive $1 off the admission price. Children under 2 that don't require a seat are free.

Beginning March 18, Saints Box Office hours on non-game days are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. On game days, the Box Office will open at 9 a.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 12:00 p.m. on Sunday and will remain open until 15 minutes following each game. Tickets are always available at saintsbaseball.com.

The Saints open the 2017 season on Thursday, May 18 with a 7:05 p.m. game against the Gary SouthShore Railcats. For more information contact the Saints at 651-644-6659 or visit saintsbaseball.com.